Resources for Mental Preparedness

By Kellene, Preparedness Pro on 5 October 2009 - 11:51am

The second most important aspect of preparedness is your Mental Preparedness. This category isn’t just about attitude, it’s about knowledge as well. Today you will receive some resources for mental preparedness that I have found incredibly useful, all in one article.

To start with, yes, there is an abundance of information available on the internet. However, a word of warning. In order to get the most reliable information for your mental preparedness,

use the internet to access university studies, copies of speeches, and previous news articles. Obviously, if you have a website that you trust, use that as well in order to maximize your learning time. I believe that Preparedness Pro is one of those sites you can rely on. Personally I go to www.survivalblog.com since this is founded by James Wesley, Rawles. (He’s the author of “Patriots”, an excellent novel that teaches sound preparedness strategies. He’s truly an expert on matters of preparedness and is also a former US Intelligence Officer.) He has written on his blog every single day for five years, but recently his wife passed away after struggling with cancer. So I’m sure he’s taking a break. In the meantime, you MAY have a chance to catch up on a great deal of his content. I also love everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com (corrected link). This is created by one of my heroines, Wendy DeWitt. She was employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for years to travel all over to teach various aspects of preparedness. The girl knows her stuff! (You can also find some video footage of her classes on YouTube.) Although she doesn’t update her site regularly, there’s a feast of information available otherwise. One last site that I would recommend is www.theheartlandusa.com by Dr. Gregory Evensen. (The site isn’t pretty, but the content is riveting.) Read his editorials and if you get a chance to attend one of his events—DO it! My husband and I attended an all day event of his last Saturday and I can assure you it was worth just about every minute! It’s great to associate with like-minded people, get to the root of concerns, and be educated by knowledgeable individuals instead of just web-spinners.

In addition to reading sites, I’ve found it VERY helpful to get to watch instructional videos for my mental preparedness as well. Videos on making solar powered heaters, or pressure cooking, making wheat meat, etc. I know, I know. You’re probably hollering at your screen right now wondering when I’M going to get on the stick with instructional videos as well. Well, it’s going to be THIS week, so there! :))

This may sound a bit self-defeating, but when it comes to getting information on preparedness, focusing on the internet should not be your only resource. In fact, I smirk a bit every time someone asks me to “post links” to my resources when I write an article—as if we no longer had telephones and libraries anymore. I mean really, folks, not all “facts” are backed up with links to other websites. Seriously though, books are a great resource to have on hand every day—now and even in the midst of calamity.

I personally enjoy and highly recommend the following books for your mental preparedness:

“Alas, Babylon” by Pat Frank. (A real eye opener! This is the first book I recommend everyone read who’s thinking about getting into being more prepared.)

“Passport to Survival” by Esther Dickey. (Marked up all over with tags, etc. I use this book all the time. Packed full of information on the use of only 4 food items for long-term survival, it’s also got lots of recipes.)

“The Amazing Wheat Book” by LeArta Moulton. (Another book that is all marked up. I’ve never understood the value of wheat so well and felt so confident using it as I did after reading this book. It’s invaluable!)

“One Second After” by William Forstchen. (Opened my eyes to components of a disaster I hadn’t thought of before…unfortunately. Note the realistic language in this book does make it “PG-13”.)

“Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” by James Wesley, Rawles.

“The 5000 Year Leap” by Cleon Skousen. (This one is critical reading to me because it helps me study what kind of a government must be put back into play after the crisis, as well as what kind of government I need to strive for now in order to ensure that our freedoms stay in place.)

“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” by James Wesley, Rawles. (This book just BARELY came out but I’ve already devoured it.)

“Cooking Under Pressure” by Lorna Sass. (I consider her the foremost authority in cooking with a pressure cooker and MOST of her recipes have been great! She’s got many great cookbooks for pressure cooking that I would also recommend.)

“When There is No Doctor” by Jane Maxwell. (Great resource book!)

“When There is No Dentist” by Murray Dickson. (Another great resource book!)

“The Bible” by…well, you know who all wrote that.

“The Boy Scout Handbook” (This is also a regular read in my house—and not just by my husband.)

The key is that you actually READ these books--not simply have them on hand as some informational reading DURING a crisis. The time for preparatory learning is before the opportunity manifests itself. I heard a gal the other day claim that one of her preparedness “assets” was the fact that she had so many books on preparedness. Uh, nope. Not unless you think you can learn by osmosis.

If you’re inclined to read books from the LDS genre, I highly recommend Chris Stewart series, “The Great and Terrible.” This 6-book series is addictive! It’s like “Alas, Babylon” but on steroids and I absolutely loved it—when I could sneak it out of my husband’s clutches, that is. I also LOVED the book “Prophetic Statements of Food Storage for Latter-Day Saints” by Neil H. Leash.

Ok, those are the books that I’ve read that are fit to recommend for mental preparedness. (Unfortunately there are at least 50 others I’ve read in the last 18 months that AREN’T fit to recommend.)

May I also recommend that you go to as many classes on preparedness topics that you can possibly handle! Anything that fits within the 10 Areas of Preparedness would be worthy of your time. Take your family with you as much as possible, and understand that getting this kind of information is an investment in your family. I had one gal who drove 200 miles last Friday to attend two of my classes. There is another delightful woman who regularly drives 3 ½ hours to attend my classes whenever she can as well. (Yes, I call her a stalker. Hee hee.) And I don’t want to hear any griping about how I’m not any closer to YOU or in your area. I’ve told you a hundred times that I’d be willing to teach in your area if you just took care of travel expenses. All you have to do is contact my assistant Sarah to arrange for dates. We don’t charge anything to teach the classes–yet. It just can’t cost me anything except for time—otherwise I’d definitely go broke.

Bottling butter photo c/o Adventures in Self Reliance

Attending classes is an investment in time, and sometimes money, but with as much as you all think I know, you should be aware that I also attend classes at every possible chance I get. It also presents a great opportunity to “interview” other individuals. In doing so, I’ve been turned onto aspects of preparedness that I never would have thought about otherwise—such as cheesewaxing, bottling butter, canning meat, diatomaceous earth, etc. In fact, last Saturday my husband and I spent a rare “free” Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at a Dr. Greg Evensen event. I loved it. It was also great realizing that my husband isn’t crazy. Hee hee.

To be perfectly blunt, if I could do a “mind dump” to share what I know, what’s in these books that I’ve recommended, and what Dr. Evensen teaches to only 500,000 people in America, I would sure sleep better at night. And frankly, every other American could sleep better at night knowing that there are people like you who care and are prepared.

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

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Have you heard of xylitol for your teeth? If not, you might want to research it. If we don't have access to a dentist, and well, even if we DO, it inhibits bacterial growth on teeth. We use it all day every day and it is a storage staple. There are other amazing things about it, but that's the number one.

I am also a fan of James Wesley, Rawles'website. For those who think they are "prepared" read his book, “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”. Is your answer the same after reading? Are you even close to being prepared?

I just heard about James Wesley Rawls. He was on talk radio today. The public library is limited and there are very few books. They agreed to do inter-library loan for me. He sounded so calm and reassuring. Thanks so much for the info which I promise to read.

I like the SAS Survival handbook. It has some pretty extreme survival scenarios but, I love the 1st aid and Plant and animal information. I was wondering if anyone has read Ferfal of Argentina "The Coming Economic Collapse"? I think it's important since a lot of counties seem to want move toward some money besides the dollar.
I really don't like some of the TV shows like Survivor man, I am always finding errors. It may make good television but I think someone is going to use some of his "information" and get dead. I have seen him drink from creeks without treating the water. I have seen him leave areas where he has food, shelter and water. " To hike out". I think that made me the most angry was his "survival" on the Alaska coast. He hiked up to a waterfall to get a drink of water, when he could have used his Dry suit, filled it with water and dragged it back to camp. It was black and he could have used it as a solar water heater. He never uses a fish trap on the water when he can, it almost seems like he wants to make it as difficult as possible.
I want to thank you for the list I will be hitting the library and see if they have those books.

If we aren't mentally prepared, we won't be able to deal well with any of the other areas of preparation. We need to be able to think clearly in order deal with all of the physical stresses, and possible deeaths or injuries. of course, having food, water, medicine and other supplies will help us mentally as well.

Wow! You really are a pro, and I am so glad to have found your site. I am the emergency/food storage person in my ward and I have scoured the internet and many books that you have mentioned, but your site is absolutely the best. You do wonderful work and I appreciate the time you take to do it. I love the Wheat Book (aka wheat bible) and Wendy DeWitt is amazing. I was up until 1:00 in the morning when I found her fireside and you tube videos. She is so inspiring. Anyway, thanks for the info and keep up the good work.

Clausewitz on war: Keep it simple, but the simple things can be hard. (Paraphrase).
I always tried to make my life as comfortable in the field,(in the Army). I don't think you need to practice misery. I always had a little portable stove and coffee can for potty breaks dumped every morning in the latrine, save a lotta gals from urinary track infections that and cranberry juice. yes it's ok if you dump it properly, a coffee can make a good "thunder jug" I always had hot water for a spit bath or a PTA bath. Fresh brewed coffee, smokes, simple 1st aid, SGT Simmons had it all, stomach upset, cough drops, pain killers. What do you need she's got it or can get it. Unofficial quartermaster, for my unit. Just a little planning and a little trading. Yes I had it all or I could get it, you want a soda or Twinkies? I can get it in Death Valley.
I guess my prepping is an extension of what I did in the Army. My troopers needed something, I'd get it if I did not have it on hand.I usually had it on hand, I learn from some master scroungers. How could do less for family? Even though they are oblivious.
I don't think the value of hot water can be overstated, However you get it. You can boil up a meal,tea, a bath,or at least a wash down. Try it wipe down with wet wipes, and with water. I know I feel cleaner with water. Plus most wet wipes suck at a shampoo.
I want to be comfortable in my prep. I have no desire to suffer. I have done that, not big on being on being miserably, it sucks. Can I do it, yes I can and have. If I have a choice to do a little prep or not to do that again, hell I worked for the government I know exactly how they feel about us. I know my answer, I will can butter, I will have eggs, I will have good wholesome food to eat. I will protect my family as well as I can. I may not succeed, but I will do my best.